Tamaki Yotsuba (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
puddingemote) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lostcarnival2016-12-18 04:34 pm
puddingemote) wrote in lostcarnival2016-12-18 04:34 pm
Entry tags:
[OPEN] Home Again, Home Again
WHO: Tamaki and you
WHAT: Tamaki has been released by the agents and has returned to the carnival.
WHERE: Around the carnival
WHEN: D33.
WARNINGS: Maybe torture mention? Body horror? Idk.
A: Carnival Grounds
It's late afternoon when Tamaki stumbles from one of the telephones and back into the forest surrounding the carnival. He's clearly shaken, eyes wide and frantic as he moves with staggering steps away from the phone, but he seems to be physically unharmed.
He nearly collapses in relief when he reaches the carnival gates. The cheery lights of the game booths and the smells from the cookhouse seem to warm him, though there's still fear that shrouds his heart. He's missed some of his performances - and not only that, but he gave up information about the carnival, and about his coworkers, to bad people with guns.
Is he in trouble? Tamaki's not sure. But he'd rather be in trouble here than back there.
With halting and confused steps, he slowly tries to make his way back toward the trailers. Whatever awaits him, he thinks he should start there.
B: Cookhouse
It's later that evening when Tamaki sneaks his way into the cookhouse. Food will probably make him feel better; it usually does. It doesn't help that lately he's felt utterly starved all the time. It's probably due to all the growth spurts - the Director had said she didn't think he was through with them yet.
Indeed, he is quite a bit taller than when he first joined the carnival over a month ago. A whole foot taller, in fact, now at seven feet tall. He hasn't really noticed, other than it's suddenly gotten more difficult to fit through doorways and he keeps growing out of clothes. But it's not a big deal, right?
He hunkers down with his food in a far, dark corner, hopefully away from anyone else. He doesn't feel like being around any strangers right now, particularly carnival guests. He doesn't want to run into any more of those men in suits and sunglasses, and be dragged back to that awful white room where they asked him too many questions and frightened him when he couldn't answer.
He's digging into his food when he notices something on his hand. It's glowing green, like the numbers on a digital clock, except it's not just numbers, but whole lines of something. Tamaki doesn't recognize it, but anyone who works with computers would be able to see that it's definitely lines of some kind of coding language.
The lines scroll over his knuckles and across the back of his hand, circling his thumb before sliding up his arm. With an, "Ah!" Tamaki drops his spoon and yanks his sleeve up, watching in horror as the lines continue up before suddenly fading away like they were never there.
"What wast that!?"
WHAT: Tamaki has been released by the agents and has returned to the carnival.
WHERE: Around the carnival
WHEN: D33.
WARNINGS: Maybe torture mention? Body horror? Idk.
A: Carnival Grounds
It's late afternoon when Tamaki stumbles from one of the telephones and back into the forest surrounding the carnival. He's clearly shaken, eyes wide and frantic as he moves with staggering steps away from the phone, but he seems to be physically unharmed.
He nearly collapses in relief when he reaches the carnival gates. The cheery lights of the game booths and the smells from the cookhouse seem to warm him, though there's still fear that shrouds his heart. He's missed some of his performances - and not only that, but he gave up information about the carnival, and about his coworkers, to bad people with guns.
Is he in trouble? Tamaki's not sure. But he'd rather be in trouble here than back there.
With halting and confused steps, he slowly tries to make his way back toward the trailers. Whatever awaits him, he thinks he should start there.
B: Cookhouse
It's later that evening when Tamaki sneaks his way into the cookhouse. Food will probably make him feel better; it usually does. It doesn't help that lately he's felt utterly starved all the time. It's probably due to all the growth spurts - the Director had said she didn't think he was through with them yet.
Indeed, he is quite a bit taller than when he first joined the carnival over a month ago. A whole foot taller, in fact, now at seven feet tall. He hasn't really noticed, other than it's suddenly gotten more difficult to fit through doorways and he keeps growing out of clothes. But it's not a big deal, right?
He hunkers down with his food in a far, dark corner, hopefully away from anyone else. He doesn't feel like being around any strangers right now, particularly carnival guests. He doesn't want to run into any more of those men in suits and sunglasses, and be dragged back to that awful white room where they asked him too many questions and frightened him when he couldn't answer.
He's digging into his food when he notices something on his hand. It's glowing green, like the numbers on a digital clock, except it's not just numbers, but whole lines of something. Tamaki doesn't recognize it, but anyone who works with computers would be able to see that it's definitely lines of some kind of coding language.
The lines scroll over his knuckles and across the back of his hand, circling his thumb before sliding up his arm. With an, "Ah!" Tamaki drops his spoon and yanks his sleeve up, watching in horror as the lines continue up before suddenly fading away like they were never there.
"What wast that!?"
no subject
"Manager... something was on my hand. It was green."
He holds his hand up for Joker's inspection. Almost as though to prove his point, there's suddenly green lines of code that appear as though under his skin, circling his thumb and fingers before disappearing.
no subject
“Makes me think of fae marks,” he murmurs quietly, still watching in case it shows up again on Tamaki’s skin. “Or any of the other weird things that happen in a place like this.” Sort of like Tamaki’s already ridiculous height, although he doesn’t mention that. Instead, he tries to smile reassuringly at the youth as he pats his shoulder. “I don’t think it’s anythin’ ta worry about, but, if yer still concerned, do ya want ta get a check up by Zecora?”
no subject
"No, I don't want to." He pulls his hand away, rubbing the skin where the code last appeared. "If you say it's okay then it is."
The green lines appear again, running on his neck now. They seem faster, almost like they're agitated.
no subject
“Are ya sure? If ya want ta take a few days off ta recover, it’s alright, Tamaki,” he says quietly, using every bit of soothing he knows how to do. “Yer more important than the shows, and we have folks who can pick up the slack.” This is just a little bit of a lie, but Joker watches after his workers. If they’re injured, or scared, or sick, he’d rather take care of that first before making them go out into the spotlight.
no subject
"But I missed a lot. Chia-chan said I was gone for almost a week."
There was a time when Tamaki would jump at the chance for some time off, but so many things have changed since he became part of IDOLiSH7. People are counting on him to do his job; even if he doesn't have the fan base at the carnival that he had back home, he's still disappointing people by not performing. At the very least, he leaves holes open. He can tell Joker himself is tired.
But he's still visibly on edge. Tamaki is still a child in many ways, and being taken away at gunpoint, being forcibly held for days without knowing what would happen to him, has taken a toll on him.
"Is it really okay?"
no subject
“Anyway, we’ve picked up another acrobat, so it’s alright! And if worse comes ta worse, I can always show off a few tricks from my performin’ days again.” He winks playfully, making a good show of having energy that doesn’t actually exist. “You’ll just have ta make it up by practicin’ hard when yer feelin’ well again.”
no subject
He looks over at Joker, studying him. He looked tired when he first ran in, and Tamaki assumes that's because he and some other people went missing. When holes open up, everyone else suffers. Tamaki has learned that lesson before, painfully.
He just hopes Joker doesn't collapse like his partner did once. Like his mom did, and never woke up.
"Are you okay, Manager?"
no subject
But that’s not important, partially because Joker is trying not to be too obvious about how exhausted he’s getting. So he tries to turn the subject around, twisting in his seat to pat Tamaki’s head. “But ya don’t gotta worry about it. I’ve been doin’ this job for a while now, haven’t I? Yer the one who needs ta find yer rest. Just let me know if ya need anythin’ at all. Now that yer one of mine, I’m gonna watch after ya.”
no subject
"I'm okay. Mikki's been helping, too." And really, it's good that he had someone from home here. His group has been the most stable presence in his life in a long time, even here.
He looks down for a moment, pushing some of his food around his plate unenthusiastically. "But... they asked me some questions. They tried to hurt me so I answered. Mikki said it was okay."
It's pretty clear he has abruptly changed the subject, though without any real warning. He looks up at Joker for confirmation.
no subject
Joker’s been curious about that, admittedly, although he’s been holding back especially with the expectation that the Nightrider or the Warden would have talked with him about this, but if he wants to talk… Joker schools his expression carefully, wing brushing carefully against Tamaki’s shoulder.
“No one would blame ya for tryin’ not ta get hurt,” he says gently, sympathetic. “What’d they ask ya?”
no subject
"About the carnival. A lot about the Ringmaster but I didn't know how to answer. And about you and the other performers."
There was a lot he didn't know how to answer, really, and that tended to agitate his captors, until they realized he really didn't know. The green lines appear again, crawling up Tamaki's neck and all the way to his cheek this time before disappearing again.
no subject
“Anythin’ in particular about me or yer coworkers that ya think I should know?”
no subject
"It's hard to remember... All our jobs. That people like Stevicchi can use magic. That you have wings."
He rubs at his forehead like he's trying to will memories to come forward. "I told them the Ringmaster makes us sign contracts."
no subject
Well. Hopefully it’ll turn out for the better. Taking a breath, Joker tries to brush his wing against Tamaki’s back again. “That ain’t too bad, then. Still, I’ll try and talk ta the Ringmaster. See if we can’t cut this stop a little short. No need ta stick around if the audience ain’t inta the carnival, right?”
no subject
"You think she would do that?" She seems like the sort of person who does what she wants, from what Tamaki knows. He's not sure if he totally trusts her yet - she did more or less trap him and Tamaki here, after all (even if they did technically get into debt, couldn't they have just paid it off?).
no subject
“Some folks are just like that. Have ya ever met any?”
no subject
Sometimes that level of stubbornness could be a good thing. Tamaki thinks of Mitsuki never giving up after getting rejection after rejection, and Sogo continuing on even when his family disapproved of a career in music. But a lot of times, that level of stubbornness is a bad thing, like now, when someone could get hurt again.
He knows a lot of people consider him the bad kind of of stubborn. A selfish sort of stubborn. Maybe they're right, and that's why he ends up in situations like this.
"If she doesn't want to leave, then... that's okay." He'll figure something out.
no subject
But for now…
“It’ll be alright. I’m here, and I’ll look after ya, okay?”
no subject
His surprise doesn't last long before it turns to embarrassment, and he lowers his eyes, shoving some of the now-lukewarm food in his mouth to give himself a moment.
"I'm not a little kid," is what he finally says, in perhaps the most petulant way possible. Still, he is grateful.
no subject
Still. He can’t just leave it at that. As he starts to move around the table to leave for his own food, he has one last thing to say, quietly for him. “But kid or not, yer all under my protection. Remember that if ya ever need anythin’ at all.” And with that, he takes his leave.